LEGACY TRANSFORMATION: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS

Transcription

1 LEGACY TRANSFORMATION: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A LEGACY OF COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES Gartner1 defines customer experience management (CEM) as: THE PRACTICE OF DESIGNING AND REACTING TO CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS TO MEET OR EXCEED CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS AND, THUS, INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, LOYALTY AND ADVOCACY 1 WHAT S HOLDING YOU BACK? Legacy systems and processes were not designed for the multi-touchpoint, technologically advanced world we live in today. Disruptors don t have these legacy challenges to deal with and many are setting the standard when it comes to flexible, timely and compliant customer communications. Being able to communicate with your customers the way you want to, and that they expect, can be a challenge due to a number of factors including: How can you overcome the legacy challenges that are holding you back? A lack of agility in your current IT systems Multiple document templates that have mushroomed out of control Customer data not being put to best use to personalise their experience

3 KNOW YOUR CHALLENGES We have arrived at a crucial time in customer communications: but a range of issues crowd the horizon. Many enterprises remain burdened with existing architecture and processes that have grown organically and are hung off a product and service mix. In this environment, how can they quickly deliver improved customer communications that are both cost effective and future proofed? And can the need to upgrade or replacen legacy systems, and meet growing customer demands, be balanced with the knowledge that technology will only continue to march forward? In driving change, how can we avoid simply building the next legacy system? NEW SET OF SKILLS There is no magic wand. The fact is that many solutions including software do address these challenges, but often only one by one. Over time, these solutions accumulate and, in the absence of a strategic answer, leave a legacy of problems for the next owner. Where we do see organisations managing to run both a legacy mainframe (or multiples of) alongside more up-to-date systems possibly cloud-based, virtualised or both it remains a juggling act. 2 In this environment, creating customer communications which are effective, consistent and accurate, not to mention compliant with regulations, demands a unique skillset. So, it s no surprise that we have seen Customer Communications Management (CCM) professionals become an essential2 part of sales, marketing and operational teams effectiveness in creating great CX. How far ahead do your CCM professionals look to the future - is it three, five or 10 years?

4 7 STEPS TO A STRONGER CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY: CCM: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE CHANNEL VISION Customers now have higher expectations about how brands communicate with them. They want consistent, high quality messaging no matter which channel they use, and if they don t get what they want, they will go elsewhere. The only way to meet this expectation is to have a holistic, omni-channel communication strategy in place which guides how every piece of communication is produced and distributed, be it in- or outbound. One all-encompassing communications strategy means every conversation with the customer, both on and offline, becomes seamless and engaging. 1. TREAT CCM AS AN IMPORTANT CX STRATEGY 2. CENTRALISE GOVERNANCE OF CUSTOMER COMMS 3. CREATE A FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTABLE CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING MODEL 4. CAPTURE KEY METRICS ACROSS THE WHOLE LIFECYCLE 5. PREPARE CONTENT ONCE FOR USE ACROSS MULTIPLE CHANNELS AND CONTEXTS 6. INVEST IN STAFF WITH THE RIGHT OMNI-CHANNEL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 7. SELECT PARTNERS ALIGNED WITH YOUR VISION AND WAY OF WORKING KICK-START YOUR STRATEGY Benchmarking the current state of play is vital as a first step. The value of a discovery programme centres around the opportunity to take stock and map out the current state of your processes and documents, and identify any priority risks and gaps. A discovery programme, or initial data audit, can also examine how GDPR-ready your organisation is ahead of the formalisation of legislation in May It s essential, for instance, to understand where data comes from and in what format. It is likely that there are multiple groups of data in a wide range of formats, from line data right through to XML or the more unusual. Most enterprises are also wrestling with a broad hardware estate, and there are likely to be hundreds of data sources feeding into any one piece of communication. Brand guidelines and corporate governance also add complexity.

5 BIG PICTURE DECISION MAKING DOCUMENTING HISTORY 2. M ainframe generated through an interface to turn code into visual text 3. M icrosoft Word at desktop level 4. Marketing developed the corporate brand and design language in desktop design/publishing toolkits 5. B espoke, in-house developed solutions to plug-in or bolt on to the CRM 6. Dedicated software solutions to develop document templates Sales, marketing, operations and IT will all be vying for their stake, but who will really own, understand, develop and use the processes and technology that are in place? CCM is not just about IT and software choices. It s about understanding how you want to present your organisation to customers and what you want them to think, feel and do every time they connect with you. It s then about deciding how to use people, processes and technology to deliver that optimal experience seamlessly. Here is our checklist of questions to guide the decision-making process and ensure control of this essential process ends up in the right hands: One of the challenges facing transformation is who owns customer experience in the organisation? Most organisations find they are developing documents in as many as six different ways. Here, for simplicity s sake, are a few examples: 1. S ystem generated from a core line of business platform such as a CRM or ERP So, once an organisation has evaluated its challenges and secured top-down project sponsorship and budget, a question remains: is it time to build, buy or mix the two? These software packages often need the user to have specialist skills, often in scripting. Latterly they have evolved a drag and drop function, but still need more IT involvement. This means control moves over to IT and that solutions are even further out of reach of the business user and marketing teams. Should you buy CCM software outright, or use software on a click and cloud basis? How do you know this is the right software? Who will facilitate integration with the IT landscape, and where does support start and end? Do they need additional training? Does the buying programme need to be extended to allow for a pilot of three class-leading solutions? How do document libraries get migrated without disrupting business as usual (BAU) output? Will project deliverables be met on time and in budget? MOST ORGANISATIONS FIND THEY ARE DEVELOPING DOCUMENTS IN AS MANY AS SIX DIFFERENT WAYS What other software, processes and people are needed to provide a full CCM solution that s integrated with the current customer landscape?

6 TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY? Purchasing application software presents both value and risks, and it is worth considering a more flexible option that can accelerate programme delivery and migration of legacy data and documents at pace, while retaining a keen focus on the future and managing BAU tasks. Modern enterprise services and solutions providers (Business Process Management, or BPM) have made significant investments in key and core software applications, supported closely by the software vendors. These remove integration and inter-operability issues associated with an in-house deployment - often the cause of major delays in CCM programmes. A BPM adds value by offering a solution which adheres to a set of industry standards, yet is configured to customer needs. It also allows the system integration of essential software and processes. Partnering with a BPM reduces complexity and increases agility. This is about configuration, not customisation. With customisation comes increased investment in cost and time and an increase in risk associated with non-standard and possibly unsupported software. Nobody wants to spend time and money building another future legacy system. Working with a BPM means that financial models are more flexible too. Enterprises can buy platform services while opting for a blended approach that could include: Monthly service fee based on capabilities and service levels Rate card transparency and no benched resources Integration managed by the ESP/BPM and simple application protocol interfaces (APIs) Security, risk, compliance and data security managed through SLAs and recognised industry standards such as ISO9001 BPM leverages its vendor relationships to purchase software and ongoing management ESP/BPM-managed and hosted solution bringing scale and acceleration Flexible, blended models, including onsite teams supporting existing legacy solution NOBODY WANTS TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY BUILDING ANOTHER FUTURE LEGACY SYSTEM How is your organisation acting now to future-proof its CCM?

7 A LEGACY OF SUCCESS As we ve explored in this whitepaper, there are typically three elements to consider for any organisation which plans to defeat its legacy based challenges. The first point is that the technology doesn t need to be a blocker to transformation. Working with the right partners could mean that technology is converted from what holds you back into a force that facilitates increased agility in development, decreased cost to serve and increased return on investment. Secondly, having the right organisational structures in place is essential for any business looking to turn technological aspirations into reality. In this area, we have seen evidence that senior sponsorship, above all, is proving to be the biggest factor in achieving successful legacy transformation. This takes leaders who not only have nerve, but who are also willing to work with the right partners. Finally, whether you buy or build the customer communications solutions that will deliver your brand promise and the transformation you crave, an open mind is essential. You will again need to ensure that both the right partners and organisational structures are in place, but keep an open mind to possible solutions as there is rarely one right answer, and insourcing or outsourcing may offer significant opportunities. We ve said it before, but nobody wants to build tomorrow s legacy problems. Flexibility is the name of the game. Contact us now to begin your legacy transformation journey. ALAN NEWMAN, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, COMMUNISIS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DIVISION alan.newman@communisis.com